Would-be burglar died of asphyxiation in oven vent

Authorities say a man found dead in the ventilation system of a suburban New Orleans business over the weekend had suffocated.

The Associated Press

MARRERO, La. — Authorities say a man found dead in the ventilation system of a suburban New Orleans business over the weekend had suffocated.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said 44-year-old Ken Singleton was apparently a would-be burglar who had tried to gain access to Greg's Food Mart in Marrero through a rooftop vent.

The owner of the business arrived to open up Saturday morning and found Singleton's legs dangling from an oven vent.

Kimberly DiLeo, a forensic investigator with the Jefferson Parish coroner's office said the cause of Singleton's death was "positional asphyxiation," meaning his airway was constricted once he became wedged in the vent system.